There is so much about this disease to wrap your head around. My question for today is...

According to the lab results, my total T4 is very high is the range, but my Free T4 is almost at the bottom of the range. Why would that be? Also, if I'm "binding up" most of my T4, does it make sense to just throw MORE T4 into the mix (i.e., Synthroid -- 50 mcg currently), or is there some other treatment to up the amount for Free T4 vs. Total T4? Also, my doc only tested for Total T3, so would it be reasonable to expect the same type of results for Free T3 vs. Total T3 as the tests show for Free T4 vs. Total T4? Just FYI, here are my latest labs:

Total T4 levels can be influenced by other factors, including birth control pills (which will make a false high result). This test is more of a calculation of what your free T4 levels are which is hardly accurate. Hopefully some day this test will become outmoded and not even offered by labs, and the same goes for the useless total T3 and T3 uptake.

Just looking at your FT4 and TSH we can see that you are very hypo and definitely need more thyroid hormones. This is an excellent example of why the total tests should be abandoned because a clueless doctor would look at your total T4 and declare you "fine" even though you are obviously very hypo per the FT4 test and that high TSH level.

The Vitamin D Council recommends using D3 to bring up low D levels instead of the D2 you've been prescribed. You can safely take 10,000 iu of D3 daily and it's far more bioidentical than D2, which is manufactured from fungus and has the potential to cause toxicity in some people. D2 is a pharmaceutical company ripoff, IMHO. You can get D3 OTC at any pharmacy or healthfood store and it's very inexpensive.

Have you had your ferritin and vitamin B12 levels tested? They are often low with hypothyroidism too and can cause problems with treatment if they are.